Somebody That I Used To Know
by CapeCodPhoenix
Summary: Everyone remembers the day Quinn Fabray disappeared. Nobody knew why Rachel Berry of all people took it so hard.
1. Prologue

_She's a phantom, I feel her touch ghost on me  
__I long to wake form this dream and find her arms around me  
__She may be gone but she's still all around  
__You can still find her wherever I am found_

* * *

Rachel has always been a little bit in love with Quinn Fabray, but between the bullying and the names and the fact that Quinn Fabray seemed to hate her, she never found an opportunity to proclaim her love to the cheerleader.

Senior year had come, and it seemed to Rachel that she and Quinn were becoming friends. And Rachel was trying so hard to figure out how to tell the blonde how she felt without ruining their tentative friendship, but she always came up short.

And then one day, Quinn was gone. Nobody had seen her or heard from her, she was just gone. Her parents didn't know where she'd gone, and Russell hadn't really cared all that much, muttering something to himself that sounded suspiciously like "Thank God she's gone." Her mother, at least had been more concerned, but Rachel, it seemed, was the only one who seemed genuinely worried about it. Well, Santana and Brittany had been worried too, but only after she hadn't come back after a few days. Rachel supposes she understands why it took them so long. Quinn had been known to disappear to deal with things, but then, she had always come back. But Rachel, Rachel had had that feeling in her gut, an instinct that told her when she didn't show up to school that first day, that something was terribly wrong.

By the time graduation rolled around, the police had stopped searching for the blonde. And, to and extent, Rachel had too. She hadn't wanted to, but the police had said something about her probably being dead. Her mother had held a sort of funeral for her, and everyone had seemingly been moving on. Rachel hadn't given up hope though. She had to stop focusing so much on finding Quinn now, in hopes that she could move on to something that would help her find Quinn later. After all, it was more than likely that Quinn was no longer in Ohio. No longer in a place where the high school Rachel Berry would be able to find her anyway.

And yet, everywhere she looked she saw Quinn. Even in her own mirror. Her memory followed Rachel everywhere. As did all her questions. What had made the blonde leave? Did she leave of her own accord? Had she been taken? Where was she now? Would she ever see her again? Did she know that her family had given up so easily? Did she know that wherever Rachel set her eyes, she was looking for her, hoping that she would miraculously appear again? Was she too late? Did she return any of her unspoken feelings?

It had been years since the day that Quinn had disappeared, and Rachel was still looking for her. Not as actively as she had been once, she couldn't afford to keep that up, though she wished that she could. Now it was more like hoping. Hoping, that she would see Quinn around the next corner she turned, or behind the next door she opened, or when she opened her eyes in the morning that Quinn would be there.


	2. The Corner Where I First Saw You

Rachel was walking through the streets of New York, as she did every day. She tried to walk everywhere if she wasn't pressed for time. If anybody asked her she would tell them it was because she liked to walk, but really, she was simply taking more time to look for Quinn.

Quinn was on her mind constantly, even when she had to be doing other things, she was still there lingering in her thoughts. The mystery of the girl's disappearance was driving the brunette crazy. She wanted answers, but nobody had any, and it seemed everyone had long ago given up trying to find them, everyone except for her.

Rachel knew that her chances of finding Quinn were slim to none, but that didn't stop her from hoping that she'd see her around the next corner. She'd never found any trace of the blonde, and for all she knew, assuming that she was still alive, as Rachel did, Quinn could be on the other side of the world. But Rachel held a blind hope that Quinn was in New York with her, and that she would finally find her.

It was a cold Saturday in the beginning of February. Rachel was bundled up in layers of sweaters and scarves and her favorite jacket. She was halfway back to her apartment, standing on the corner, waiting for it to be safe to cross the street when she noticed the familiar shade of blonde across the street. Realistically, she knew that seeing blonde meant nothing, but she couldn't help but hold out hope that this time, it was Quinn.

Rachel moved a few feet to the side so she could see the face of the blonde. There was a sharp intake of breath when she saw the familiar face. It was completely different and yet exactly the same, and briefly Rachel wondered if maybe she was hallucinating again, but when the hazel eyes locked with hers, she knew it was her. She had finally found Quinn.

All she wanted to do was run across the street and pull the ex-cheerleader into her arms, to hold her and never let her go, but alas, she could not. The cars were speeding along the intersection and she knew if she tried she would surely end up hospitalized. So she waited impatiently for it to be safe to cross and when it was, she ran to encompass the blonde in her embrace.

Only now that she could cross, she could not locate Quinn. She had been there a moment ago. Rachel was sure of it. But now she was nowhere to be seen.

Sure Rachel was disappointed. But now she knew Quinn was in New York.

Rachel called her assistant, telling the girl to postpone all her activities until further notice. Rachel would not rest until she found the blonde again. She has determination written all over her face, and for the first time in a long time, she smiles, a real smile.

* * *

_Going back to the corner where I first saw you  
__Gonna camp in my sleeping bag, I'm not gonna move  
__Got some words on cardboard, got your picture in my hand  
__Saying "If you see this girl can you tell her where I am"_


	3. In Another Life

Most times, Charlotte accepted every part of herself, but sometimes, like right now, she hated her paralyzing fear of cars, trains, subways, and any other enclosed moving metal contraption. She was running late, but she couldn't just take the subway or a taxi like any normal New Yorker. No, she had to walk the streets because the last time she attempted to ride the subway, they found her a blubbering mess, huddled in the corner of one of the cars, and she had to be sedated. God damn phobias.

She had promised Scarlet that she would be on time for this meeting, that everything would go smoothly, and that she would seal the deal, but things were not looking up for her today.

As she waited for the walk signal, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number. She tapped her foot, both nervously and impatiently as she waited for someone on the other end of the line to answer.

"Hello, this is Charlotte Hill calling. I have an appointment with Mr. Stein at two o'clock. I was hoping you could let him know that I'm running a few minutes late, but I should be there by ten after."

"Alright," the woman, who was presumably the receptionist, said, "I'll let him know, but I'm warning you, he won't be happy about it."

"Thank you," Charlotte said as the walk signal beamed from across the street. She quickly shoved her phone back into her pocket as she weaved in and out of the other pedestrians.

It was just her luck that she kept running into the 'do not cross' symbol at seemingly every other intersection. Her own patience was wearing thin, and she could only imagine how impatient Mr. Stein undoubtedly was.

She was five blocks away from Mr. Stein's building, at what was probably the seventeenth intersection she'd found herself waiting for the 'walk' symbol when her eyes locked on to a pair of brown ones across the street.

The girl with the brown eyes seemed eerily familiar. Just looking at the girl made her stomach twist. But Charlotte was sure that she had never seen the brunette staring back at her before in her life. The brunette on the other hand seemed to recognize her, and Charlotte didn't have a good feeling about this.

Charlotte briefly wondered if maybe she might have known the girl in a past life. Maybe in the 1700s when she was somebody else. Perhaps that was why the girl seemed so familiar.

As soon as the symbol changed, she hid herself in the passing crowd and continued on to Mr. Stein's office. She was already late for her important meeting. She would worry about the brunette later, if she ever came across her again.

Charlotte entered the waiting room at precisely two oh six. She notified the receptionist of her arrival before picking up a random magazine and taking a seat. She flipped noncommittally through the magazine until a picture caught her eye. It was the girl. The brown-eyed girl she'd just seen on the streets.

Rachel Berry was her name. Even that name seemed to resonate within her.

She was a star on Broadway. Charlotte thought that must be why the brunette seemed so familiar, but her gut told her that wasn't it. There was something that connected her to Rachel Berry, she just didn't know what it was. Luckily for Charlotte, she didn't have time to dwell on it because Mr. Stein entered the room, summoning her into his office.


	4. Can This Be Real?

Rachel was beyond frustrated. She had glimpsed her haven in the pools of hazel that she'd always secretly called home, and as quickly as they'd appeared, they were gone. It had been ten days since she'd seen Quinn across the street. Ten days and she was exactly where she'd been eleven days ago. Nowhere.

Rachel combed the streets of New York every day hoping to find another sighting of the elusive blonde. She'd mapped out a six block radius from the point where she'd seen her, hoping that the blonde lived somewhere therein.

Her assistant, and pretty much everyone else she knew were furious at her for her stopping her entire life (and to some extent their own) to do 'absolutely nothing but walk in circles.' They didn't understand. They would probably never understand, particularly if Rachel couldn't find Quinn.

Rachel hoped that the girl hadn't run. Jumped a bus to another place which didn't have Rachel Berry in it.

Rachel's stomach growled loudly, so she decided she should take a break and eat something. She justified to herself that she had to in order to keep her energy levels up, so she could keep looking. She ducked into a little hole-in-the wall diner, and sat in an empty booth. She ordered a cheeseburger, extra fries and a chocolate milkshake. Satisfied for the moment, Rachel looked around.

There weren't a lot of people inside. There were two gentlemen at the bar. One was older, sipping on a coffee, and flipping through the New York Times. The other was younger. Rachel figured he was in high school, or more accurately, he was skipping out on high school. Two booths down, a redhead woman was tapping her fingernails on the table, and looking at her watch every so often. Rachel could tell she was annoyed. She figured she was probably being stood up.

The redhead's cell phone went off, and she snatched it up, answering with a harsh, "Where _are_ you?"

She'd gotten so used to watching people. She had to, as she was always watching for any sight of Quinn. This woman, though, caught Rachel's attention. So, though she knew it was poor ettiquette, she listened in on the woman's conversation, or what she could of it.

"Damn it, Charlie, you promised you'd take this seriously."

"No, if you did, you would _be_ here."

"I love you, Charlie, you _know_ that, but if things don't start changing..."

"Listen, I know you mean well, I just don't think that..."

"I know you..."

"Charlie! Will you stop interrupting?"

Rachel could hear the woman's frustration with this Charlie guy, not just in her tone, or her words, but simply her breathing. She wondered what exactly Charlie had done.

"Son of a bitch!" The woman screamed, snapping her phone shut.

Rachel assumed that Charlie must have said something pretty bad.

"Daughter, actually," Rachel heard the voice come from behind her. Her eyes widened. She _knew_ that voice. It had been so long since she'd heard it. The voice of an angel.

Rachel saw Quinn walk right past her to sit across from the redhead.

"I'm really sorry Scar, I really never intend to be late."

Rachel's couldn't breathe, but her feet moved of their own accord. Before she knew it she was standing two tables down, looking at the top of Quinn's head.

"Quinn?" she breathed.


	5. You Look Familiar

"Who's Quinn?" Scarlet and Charlotte asked at the same time.

Charlotte turned her head to look at the stranger who was standing at her table. It was Rachel Berry. The Broadway star with the familiar brown eyes.

Rachel's forehead creased with disappointment.

"It's you," Charlotte said.

Charlotte couldn't _not_ notice the hope that shone through the pair of chocolate eyes, staring directly at her.

"You were staring at me last week, from across the street, right?" Charlotte asked.

"I…"

"Oh My God!" Scarlet whispered, her voice gaining volume with every syllable. "You're Rachel Berry!"

Charlotte turned back to face Scarlet, who looked as if she might faint. She had forgotten just how much Scarlet followed the Broadway industry, and was now painfully aware of the fangirling that would commence in three…two…one…

"We saw you in Spring Awakening!" Scarlet squealed. Charlotte groaned at the fact that Scarlet was dragging her into her rant. "You were so amazing! I went back like five times just to see you perform! I heard you were cast in the revival of RENT that they're working on! I can't wait to see it! You are seriously like my idol!"

"Thank you…" Rachel said.

"Scarlet. Scarlet Johnson."

"Thank you, Scarlet. It's always nice to meet people who appreciate my art."

Rachel returned her focus to Charlotte.

"So, I see you've met my friend," Charlotte chuckled. "I'm Charlotte."

Charlotte noticed the glare Scarlet sent her way, but chose to ignore it. There was something about the brunette's presence that seemed so familiar. It made her feel…nostalgic? No, that couldn't be it. Charlotte had never met the girl before.

"I'm sorry to have barged in on you both," Rachel said. "You just, you remind me of…" Rachel looked Charlotte in the eyes. "Somebody that I used to know."

Charlotte nodded. "You seem familiar," she said, not realizing she'd said it out loud.

Scarlet blinked. Like she was unsure what had just happened. Not that anything had.

Rachel smiled shyly.

"I suppose I should be going," Rachel said. It didn't sound like she really wanted to go anywhere, though. "I apologize for interrupting. It was nice meeting you, both."

Charlotte couldn't help but notice the singer looked sad. She wondered why that could be.

Charlotte looked back to her friend and smirked a little. "You're drooling."

"Shut up," Scarlet said as she wiped her mouth. Her glare reminding Charlotte that her friend had been angry with her before they'd been interrupted.

An idea formulated in her mind, and a moment later she turned around in the direction Rachel had walked away.

"Miss Berry!" Charlotte said.


	6. How Can I Keep From Singing?

Rachel felt her heart ache as she walked away. The blonde had said her name was Charlotte, not Quinn, and though she had claimed that Rachel seemed familiar to her, Rachel could tell that the only thing she actually knew was that Rachel Berry was on Broadway.

The thing that irked Rachel was that she was one hundred percent positive that the girl she'd just been talking to was Quinn Fabray. Rachel had watched Quinn from a distance for years; she knew her voice, the flecks of gold in her eyes; she found she was every bit in love with the new Quinn, or rather, Charlotte, as she had been all those years ago before she disappeared. Quinn had most definitely changed, but Rachel could feel that she was exactly the same in the areas that counted.

Rachel wished that she could make some excuse to stay with her, but seeing as Quinn obviously didn't remember her, she didn't know what to do.

"Miss Berry?" she heard Quinn say.

Rachel turned around to see Quinn approaching her. Rachel's eyes flickered over to Quinn's friend, Scarlet, who seemed just as surprised that Quinn was approaching her as she was.

Rachel smiled. "Charlotte."

Rachel wondered what Quinn could possibly want. This Quinn, didn't know her, unless... No. Rachel could tell by looking into Quinn's eyes that she still didn't know her. She didn't remember the slushies and the bullying, she didn't remember the singing and dancing. Rachel's heart broke a little more upon realizing the she probably didn't even remember Beth.

Rachel's mask slipped slightly and Quinn had noticed immediately.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Miss Berry..." Quinn said.

"Rachel. Call me Rachel, please. And it's not a bother at all."

"I just... Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Rachel lied.

"Are you sure?" Quinn asked, "I don't mean to intrude on your business, you just looked...distressed for a moment there."

Rachel smiled at how genuine Quinn's concern for her was, even if she didn't remember her.

"I'm fine," Rachel lied again.

Quinn looked doubtful.

"It was just a memory."

Quinn nodded, though it didn't look like she was convinced.

"As long as you're sure," Quinn said hesitantly.

Rachel smiled. "I assure you, Charlotte, I am quite fine, though I appreciate your concern. Now, how can I help you? I'm quite certain that you didn't initiate this conversation with the sole intent on asking me if I am okay, though if that was the case I apologize for my inaccurate assessment of the situation and hope that I did not offend you in any way."

Rachel could see a smile tugging on the corner of Quinn's lips, the way it used to when she was trying to convince herself that she didn't like something, when she really did.

"I was just hoping that... I mean I'm sure you could probably tell that Scarlet is a big fan of yours. She's kind of mad at me right now, and I'm probably out of line by even asking you this, so you can tell me to buzz off at anytime, but I was hoping you could maybe sing something for her?"

It wasn't the first time she'd been asked to sing for a fan, and she was sure it would not be the last. Normally, as much as she enjoyed singing, she would not entertain the thought, but it was Quinn who had asked her, and, especially after all this time, she could not say no to Quinn.

"Is there anything in particular that you would like me to sing?" Rachel asked.

"Not really," Quinn said. "Anything you'd like would be greatly appreciated.

"I would be honored," Rachel said honestly.


End file.
